Search for the Avatar
by WolvesandDogs
Summary: After Korra's death, the Order of the White Lotus is left searching for the new Avatar, but seventeen years later, no Avatar has been found. This leaves some wondering if the Avatar was reincarnated and others scrambling to find this elusive new Avatar. R


**Prolog:**

The atmosphere was quiet and fairly undisturbed outside of the two brothers. Mako and Bolin sat in two waiting room chairs. They were both uneasy. Mako was fitting around with his fingers, and Bolin was tapping his leg anxiously. Neither one of them were looking at anything in particular, just out into space. Even though the brothers had gone been in this situation before, it was still nerve-wracking for them.

A nurse walks by. Mako heard her footsteps, and his head shot up. "Excuse me!" Mako, with nervousness in his voice, said unintentionally loud. The nurse walked back to see what he needed, and Bolin looked over at Mako as well.

"Yes... What do you need?" She asked politely.

"Are they doing all right?" Mako asked for himself and Bolin.

Speaking to Mako, the nurse answered, "Your wife is doing fine." Then seeing Bolin about to ask the same question, she answered it before he could even speak. "Yours too." She said than promptly walked away.

"Can you believe it?" Bolin asked his brother.

"What?" Mako asked. He was a bit out there when something was on his mind.

Bolin was stunned that Mako would ask what. The answer was obvious. "That we are both going to become fathers on the same day." Bolin said half nervous and half enthusiastic.

Mako shook his head a bit as he reminded Bolin, "We are fathers... You have your little boy, and I have my two little girls."

Bolin, sort of blunt, shares a random thought, "That boy snores." Then Bolin laughed a tiny bit, and even Mako let out a chuckle. With the two smiling, they had finally lightened up the mood.

After a bit of talking and some silent moments between Mako and Bolin, a different nurse than before emerges from Korra's room. Both Korra and Asami's rooms were visible from their seats.

Mako was anxious to see Korra and his new child. He just had to wait for his name to be called, which he hoped would be as soon as she walked out. Then around two seconds passed, and Mako stood up even though his name was not called yet. He's not very patient at the moment. Mako's legs feel like Jell-O, and his body was stiff.

"Mako!" The nurse, surprisingly quiet and just barely looking up at him, called.

Mako walked to where she was and through the door out of Bolin's sight.

Bolin was even worse without his brother. He kept glancing up at the clock on the wall. 5, 10, 15 minutes Mako's been gone. Bolin didn't know how much longer he could wait. About twenty minutes after they called Mako, Bolin was called as well.

This was only Bolin's second child, so he was extremely nervous going in. Even though he was nervous about meeting his and Asami's new baby, he was also extremely happy at the same time.

The brothers had two completely different experiences while in the room with their wife and child.

Bolin was sent out of the room for thirty minutes by the doctor. He wasn't nervous anymore. All of his fears had melted away when he had held his first daughter. They named her June.

Bolin was content until he realized Mako wasn't in the waiting room. This worried him a bit, but he quickly dismissed his brother's absence. Bolin just figured Mako was in there with his new baby and Korra.

When the door to Korra's room finally opened, Bolin saw Mako. To Bolin's surprise, Mako was holding the baby in a little blanket, and Mako's face wasn't full of happiness. Infact, Mako looked sad, disappointed even.

Not looking away from the baby, Mako walked over to and sat beside Bolin. They were in the same chairs as before. Mako was looking more and more sad to Bolin every second.

Looking over Mako at his brother's child, Bolin saw that the child was pail looking. The child wasn't moving from what Bolin could see either. Bolin began to think that Mako and Korra lost the baby.

Bolin worked up enough courage to ask his brother what was wrong. Very hesitantly Bolin asked, "Mako... What happened?.. Did something go wrong?"

Mako closed his eyes, flashbacks of what just happened running through his head. Every time he thought about it, a series of chills ran down his spine, and they shook his entire body. He was petrified by what he had to tell his brother. He didn't want to delay the bad news, so he sadly choked out his words. "She's gone."

"I'm so sorry Mako... It must be hard loosing a kid like that." Bolin sympathetically told his brother.

A few small tears left Mako's eyes, and Bolin was really concerned about his brother because he has never saw Mako cry in his entire life. "I meant Korra." Mako sadly told Bolin.

Bolin was shocked. His eyes swelled up with tears. He had never would have expected that that was what Mako was going to say, but Mako did. Bolin now realized what was going on. Korra died having the baby. Now Mako had lost Korra, and the child had lost a mother. He knew how much she meant to Mako. Bolin felt his chest tense up, and a chill run down his spine several times. He remembered when he met Korra. She was always nice to have around. She was a great sister-in-law, and Bolin always described her as being awesome to have around. Plus Korra and Bolin were still really good friends, so Bolin is real disappointed to hear the bad news.

Mako felt so empty without her. He felt as if he was gasping for air, as if his lungs were empty, or full of tears, but you couldn't tell that on the outside. Even though Mako's lungs felt like they were being squeezed empty, his chest also felt heavy. He was also lightheaded. Mako was thinking, Korra was only twenty-nine. How could this happen? Mako couldn't bear the thought of loosing her; now it wasn't just a thought. It was reality. A part of him has been torn out never to be seen again. His wife is gone from him forever. Every place that she occupied in his heart was cringing and weeping because of Korra's sudden death. He was swelling up with sadness inside. Mako couldn't believe that today, he lost his wife but gained a son.

Then a even more unsettling thought struck Mako. Jinora was watching Mai and Katara, Mako and Korra's daughters, back at the house. How would they react to the news of their mother's death? Would they blame their new brother? How could he break the news to them? Mai was only four, and Katara was three. Would they even remember Korra when they grew up?

How could Mako raise three kids without their mother? He basically had to raise himself and Bolin when he was a kid, but that was different. His children are younger than himself and Bolin, so they needed someone to be there for them. Mako could be there for them, but it wouldn't be the same. They needed their mother. Mako saw how good Korra was with Mai and Katara. She was such a caring mother, and Mako thought it was tragic to lose that. He spent just as much time with his daughters, but Mai and Katara seemed to have an effect on Korra. She wasn't as demanding, controlling, or stubborn; still, that was still a part of Korra. Mako thought the softer side of Korra being more openly exposed had to do with the love for their daughters.

After a couple minutes of silence, Bolin finally asked, "What are we going to do without her?"

Mako was looking at his son. All Mako could see was his head, the rest of him was under a tightly wrapped blanket. The boy had black hair that at the moment just looked like little pieces of fuzz on his head. His skin tone was similar to Mako's. He wasn't a big baby either, but at the same time, he wasn't small. Plus not being a chunky baby, made him look a bit smaller as well.

Trying to make it seem less dismal in the waiting room, Bolin asked his brother, "What's her name?"

Looking over at Bolin, Mako said, "It's a boy."

Bolin quickly said, "Oh! Sorry. What's his name?" He had gotten confused earlier when Mako said she's gone, and assumed the child was a girl.

Mako, sounding sad again, said, "We didn't get to name him..."

Bolin realized what Mako was saying. Korra passed before they got a chance to name their son, and a name was the last of Mako's worries right now.

Even with Korra gone, Mako realized their boy needed a name. He remembered a name Korra mentioned several times. First Mako took a long deep breath, and then he said his son's name aloud. "Siku... Korra suggested the name a while back."

Mako felt weighted down by the circumstance. He didn't know what do. Then all the sudden the room started to spin and everything grew dim.

Bolin saw Mako falling over. "Mako!" Bolin yelled trying to stop his brother from falling. He quickly grabbed Mako and took Siku out of his hands. Mako was under so much pressure; he blacked out. Bolin just held Mako upright with one hand and his nephew with the other.

"Mako! Mako!" Bolin called as he shook Mako. Bolin knew Mako was ok, but this worried him. How could Mako function without Korra if he was this overwhelmed?

The nurse that walked by earlier must have heard Bolin calling his brother's name. She quickly came over. Seeing the situation, she asked, "What's wrong?"

Bolin answered, "My brother just blacked out."

"Do I need to get someone?" She asked.

"No. He's had a lot happen, there's nothing you can do. He just needs to wake up. That's all." Bolin said.

Mako felt himself moving from side to side, then he realized it was Bolin's hand that was shaking him. Then he realized that he wasn't holding his son. His head shot up and his eyes snapped open as he looked for his son. When he looked around he desperately and loudly asked, "Bo where's-" Seeing Bolin with Siku allowed Mako to let out a sigh of relief.

Bolin told Mako, "You blacked out." Then asked, "Are you all right?"

Mako's head was throbbing and he was still light headed. He bent down and rested his head in his hands. After a few moments Mako lifted his head up followed by his right hand which was still holding onto his forehead. "I'm fine. Just really lightheaded." Mako told them.

"Sure?" Bolin asked.

"Yea bro." Mako assured him.

"Do you need anything Sir?" The nurse asked Mako.

"No thanks." Mako answered.

"Why did you black out?" She asked.

Mako closed his eyed a moment, and he remembered. Holding Korra's hand Mako had realized he was loosing his wife. Mako's hand, that wasn't being held onto by Korra, cradled their little baby boy. He saw Korra close her eyes, and moments later, Korra's hand went limp in his. Coming back into reality, Mako reopened his eyes. He could feel the drop of sweat rolling across forehead. "I just lost someone." Mako said as calmly as he could.

"I'm so sorry." The nurse said. Then just as she was about to walk away, she remembered who Mako was. He was the Avatar's husband. "Who did you loose?" She asked.

"My wife." Mako told her even though it pained him to speak the words.

She was shocked. "Our Avatar is dead?" The nurse said a bit too loud.

Mako was enraged that she would blurt out something so personal. His eyebrows scrunched up in outrage. You could tell he was mad at what she had done. He was also upset and hurt.

Bolin saw his brother's mad look, so he decided to step in before the situation got out of control. Bolin spoke up for Mako, "Don't tell anyone." Then Bolin got a little more defensive. "Korra may have been the Avatar, but she was also our family. You don't need to go around telling everyone you see what happened. You don't have the right to tell anyone until Mako tells them first."

"I'm sorry." She said as she quickly turned and walked away at a quick pace. She wouldn't be telling anyone.

Moments after that nurse was out of sight, another emerged from Asami's room. "Bolin!" She called.

Bolin looked over at his brother. Mako reached his hands over towards Bolin. Bolin knew that Mako was reaching over so he could hold Siku again, but Bolin was worried. What if Mako drops Siku? Being so young, a falling even a few feet could kill him. Being reluctant to hand Siku over Bolin told his brother, "I don't think your feeling well enough to hold him."

"I'm fine." Mako said trying to reassure Bolin.

Concerned for Mako, Bolin told him. "I'm not sure you are."

"Bo..." Mako's eyes suddenly turned caring; they showed a sincere part of Mako more so than usual. Mako looked Bolin directly in his eyes. "I wouldn't do anything that would put Siku in danger. He and his sisters are all I have left of Korra. You know that."

"Bolin?" They heard the nurse call again.

Bolin trusted Mako, and handed Siku to him. Mako held his son tenderly while Bolin went in to see Asami.

Mako's head was beginning to clear up. He realized that Bolin saved Siku when he blacked out because the short fall could have been fatal to an infant like Siku. He knew that Bolin would probably tell Asami about Korra. He didn't mind that. He just didn't want everyone to know that his wife died. They would probably want to start the search for the next Avatar, but that was the absolute last thing on his mind. That means that he would have to fully accept Korra was gone, and he wanted to hold onto a part of her forever.

Back in the room with Asami and their new daughter, Bolin's mind was still thinking about Mako. Asami was sitting up holding June. Bolin walked over to where they were and put on a half real half fake smile.

Asami could tell that Bolin was acting odd; he wasn't as happy. "What's wrong?" Asami asked him.

Bolin put his hand on the back of his head; rubbing it, he turned away from Asami. He was dreading telling Asami about Korra. He took a long drawn out breath then turned back around to face his wife.

She could see the horror and terror in his face. It was the fear of saying whatever it was that is bothering him. Bolin was sad to tell Asami something, but was it?

Bolin was looking at Asami with his teary eyes. With the hand still on the back of his head, Bolin choked out one name. "Korra."

"What happened to Korra?" Asami asked concerned.

Removing his hand off the back of his head, Bolin told Asami, "She's not here anymore... Korra's dead."

Asami was stunned. Korra was dead, and Asami didn't expect that news at all. She didn't even know if she heard Bolin right, so she asked, "Did you say Korra's d-dead?"

Bolin nodded.

* * *

Two days later, Mako returned home with Siku early in the morning. He didn't have Korra with him. Siku was in his arms. The only other thing he was caring with him was a small diluted deep green tote bag with a few things in it.

Jinora heard Mako come in the door. Walking up to Mako she gasped when she saw the little baby. "Soooo cute!" Jinora was so concentrated on Siku that she didn't notice that Korra wasn't with Mako and the baby.

Mako was looking around the open room. There was no sign of his daughters yet. He was dreading telling Mai and Katara that their mother was gone. Turning his attention to Siku and Jinora for a moment, Mako told Jinora, "His name's Siku."

"That's a wonderful name." Jinora said.

Mako smiled at the compliment. "Korra suggested it." He told Jinora wanting to give Korra the credit.

"How'd you come up with it Korra?" Jinora asked looking up from Siku.

Mako felt his throat suddenly dry up. He swallowed, but it didn't help.

Jinora still smiling asked, "Where's Korra?" She had no idea what happened.

Mako's eyes saddened. Then he told Jinora, "Unfortunately... Korra's not able to be with us right now."

Jinora stopped smiling. She was concerned but thought that Korra was still at the hospital. "Where is she then?" Jinora asked.

"She passed away... Two days ago." Mako told her.

Jinora's hands immediately covered her mouth, and tears ran down her face. Her heart started to skip a beat when she heard that Korra passed. Jinora had known Korra for as long as she could remember. They met a couple times when Tenzin flew down to the Southern Water Tribe to see Katara. That was when Jinora was just a little kid, so she was very close to Korra. Jinora couldn't believe that Korra was gone. Even with what she heard, she couldn't allow herself to make noise as she cried; if she did, than Mai and Katara would hear. She was comprehending that the girls didn't have a mother anymore, and Siku didn't even get to know his mother.

Mai had woken up at the sound of the door. She had woken Katara up and the two sisters were walking up to their father. Mai, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her fists, was a few steps in front of her sister. Katara was holding her blanket that she slept with every night; it dragged on the floor as she walked almost tripping her.

"Mommy... Daddy!" Mai called still ribbing the sleep out of her eyes; she was not yet able to see that her mother wasn't there.

Mako's heart broke at the sound of his daughters words. He felt so much sympathy for her because he felt the same way. Both of his daughters' hearts would be broken.

Katara wondered where their mother was. She was looking all around, but couldn't find Korra. Mai stopped rubbing her sleepy eyes, and noticed Korra was missing as well. The two sisters used their eyes to scan the room for their mother. When neither of them could find Korra, they began to look sad. They didn't know where Korra was, but they thought something bad might have happened to her.

"Where's Mamma?" Katara asked with a little tear running down her cheek.

Mako set his bag down and led them over to the couch. Jinora knew what Mako was doing, so she went into the other part of the house. Mako sat in the middle of the couch with Siku in his arms. Mai sat on his right and Katara on his left.

Mako set Siku on him, and placed his hands on his daughter's backs. Taking a deep breath, Mako told them what happened. As calm as he could he said, "Korra had some trouble having your little brother. Mommy isn't coming home." Looking back and forth between his young daughters, he saw that they were extremely sad, but they didn't fully understand what happened to Korra. Mako knew he would have to say it as plainly as possible for them to really understand. Pulling his daughters close, he told them, "Your mommy died two days ago."

Sobbing heavily, they both clung to Mako. They were horrified that their mother was dead. Mai and Katara were very close to Korra, and they didn't know what they were going to do without her.

Mai was worse off in the sense that she would remember losing her mother more vividly, but she would also remember her mother better than Katara.

On the other hand, you could also say Katara would have a tougher time for several reasons. The first reason is Katara won't remember her mother very well at all. Another reason that will prove a problem for Katara as she grows up has to do with her being a waterbender. There really isn't anyone else that she knows well to teach her waterbending. Korra was teaching Katara a bit of water bending recently, but the time of being taught by her mother was over for Katara.

* * *

Eventually, everyone in the family and close friends were contacted. They were all told of Korra's death. They were all mourning over the loss of their beloved Korra. They had a funeral without alerting public officials, it would have caused too much public attention.

About a month after she died, an issue came up that Korra, as the Avatar, would normally have to deal with. The Counsel sent a letter to the house requesting Korra to speak about the issue. They gave a time and place. It was in front of the counsel building in two days. Korra would usually give her opinion at the public event, and afterwards, she would help carry out the resulting action.

Mako knew he would have to announce Korra's death because she was the Avatar, and Order of the White Lotus needed to start searching for the next Avatar. Mako decided that he would wait until the announcement date for the issue, but instead of dealing with the issue, he would announce Avatar Korra's death publicly.

* * *

Two days went by just like that, and the citizens of Republic City were expecting Korra to speak. When Mako got there without Korra, the officials didn't know what was going on, but allowed Mako to speak anyway.

When he got up there, he was nervous. Mako didn't know how everyone would react when they heard that their Avatar was dead. He was a police officer, a former Probending player, and the Avatar's husband, so at least some of the people listening and watching should recognize him.

When he stepped up to the podium, everyone was confused in the audience. They were expecting to see Korra. There was some whispering in the audience.

Mako spoke into the microphone; he said, "I know I wasn't the person you were expecting to see, but Korra has a reason for not being here." He heard some people accusing Korra of having no reason and abandoning them. Mako knew they didn't understand Korra. He would just have to tell them what happened to her. "Avatar Korra, as many of you know, was my wife. Unfortunately, she passed away about a month ago." Mako said.

The entire crowd gasped and discussed the news. They had completely forgotten what they were there to hear in the first place. The news was also a live broadcast on the radio, so everyone knew.

After Mako explained more about Korra, the audience stopped being so harsh. At the age of twenty nine, Korra's death came as a complete shock to everyone, but that didn't stop the Order of the White Lotus from needing to find the new Avatar. They spoke to Mako afterwards. They told Mako that they wouldn't need Mako's help finding the next Avatar. Mako was glad that this event, even though it was difficult for him, would allow him to move on in the long run.

And so the search for the Avatar begins, and life moves on.


End file.
